What: Outschool is an online learning marketplace where you can teach almost any topic about which you have passion and expertise.
Expected pay: $10 to $80 an hour
Husl$core: $$$$
Commissions & fees: 30%
Where: Nationwide
Requirements: 18 or older; pass a background check; expertise in your chosen topic.
(Outschool is a SideHusl.com affiliate. This does not impact our review. However, SideHusl may earn a small referral fee from links in this post.)
Want to check out Outschool?
- Click here to join
- Create your profile
- Develop a curriculum
- Start earning
Or…Want to book a class?
- Click here to explore/join classes
Outschool Review:
Outschool is an online teaching platform that takes a different approach to learning. Instead of teaching a set curriculum and testing against a grade standard, the site encourages teachers to offer classes that spark the imagination. Classes can be offered as single-sessions or as a series, and they may or may not result in improved grades.
For instance, one class teaches engineering concepts by building Legos. There are history, astronomy and chemistry classes that teach through a Harry Potter lens. One such class, for instance, teaches about how J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World was influenced by WWII and the Holocaust. There are civics and economic lessons taught through Minecraft; and Spanish taught through Taylor Swift songs. (You can find their class offerings here.)
Like online tutoring, the classes are done through a live internet connection. However, instead of having just one student, you could have many. Teachers set their per-pupil class price and determine how many students can attend each class.
The teacher’s earnings depend on how much they’ve chosen to charge per pupil and the number of students who sign up. Typically teachers charge around $12-$15 per hour per learner and can open their classes to between one and 18 students. The site does the advertising, booking and payment collection in exchange for a 30% fee paid by teacher.
Popularity pays
That can lead to great — or really bad — hourly pay.
If, for example, you designed a class and only one child attended, your hourly pay could be miserable. After all, it probably took you several hours to develop the curriculum before presenting the class. Add that to the hour you spend teaching and your $15 per student rate is going to net you $11.50 after site commissions. If it took you three hours to prepare and teach, that works out to just under $4 an hour.
That said, if your classes prove popular, you can earn very generous pay. The teacher of the Lego engineering series estimates that she earns about $60 an hour, even after accounting for prep time.
The dark side
The only complaint we’ve consistently heard about this platform is that teacher support can be AWOL. Site founder Amir Nathoo admits this has been a problem, particularly since the Coronavirus crisis closed traditional classrooms. The site’s student sign-ups have doubled in just the past few months, which has overwhelmed customer support. He’s hired 10 new customer service agents, and hopes to solve that soon.
Classes must approved by the site, but that’s more to keep out inappropriate content than to dictate curriculum, says Nathoo. Payments are made to teachers usually a week following the start of class.
Recommendations:
If you have an imaginative take on learning, we think Outschool is a great place to test it out. Once you’ve developed a viable curriculum, you might also want to place your class on other teaching platforms, such as Thinkific and Teachable, where you tape your lessons.
With taped teaching platforms, you do the class once with no live audience. Students can book the class at any time and learn on their own. That can provide a nice source of passive income. However, the up-front work is substantial, if you haven’t developed and tested your curriculum elsewhere.
What their users say: (from Indeed)
“This company takes a whopping 30% of class fees from the teacher. The services provided to the teacher from the company is marketing and a teaching forum (the virtual classroom). The marketing part is very useful, but the teaching forum is something any skilled teacher can provide themselves. That said, a 30% cut SHOULD cover not only the marketing and the virtual platform, but also support for teachers and a virtual platform with far less glitches than this one has (i.e., classes that don’t meet the minimum enrollment are not cancelled so the hourly pay is severely reduced to as low as $8/hr., among other things).”
“As picky as they are about class outlines you would think if an instructor asked repeatedly for assistance with concerns over a months time someone would respond, at least once!”
“To be successful on the platform, most people wind up devoting 5-10 hours a week to test out different ideas on the platform. Once you’ve attracted your initial student base, it’s possible to grow full-time. However, if you’re looking for a guaranteed income with opportunities for benefits, Outschool is not the platform for you. The most difficult part of the job is navigating the platform’s seasonality. Summers tend to be slow. It’s important to be creative while planning ahead.”
“I’ve worked as a teacher at Outschool for two years and have amassed a following of over 4000 families without spending one dollar on advertising. I have complete control of my schedule and subject matter, while also making about $70 per hour.”
Suggested Options.
Newly discovered side gigs
We are always on the hunt for new gigs that offer engaging work and good money. Several of these…
Vacation season opportunities
Whether you're looking for work or respite from work, more than a dozen online platforms can help…
How to earn $500 fast
The editors at SideHusl.com searched through our database of 450 side hustle platforms to find…
Make money while killing time
Waiting on jury duty? For a late flight? Suffering through a bad movie? Pull out your phone and…
Make money with greeting cards
You don't have to be employed by Hallmark to make money with greeting cards. All you need is a…
Jobs for people who love to shop
Do you love to shop? You can make money shopping for others with mystery shopping concerns and…
How to teach English online
Native English speakers have a simple, and often lucrative, side hustle. They can teach English…
Remote customer service jobs
If you want to work in your pajamas at odd hours of the day or night, you may be a perfect…
Side hustles for the opinionated
Opinionated? Don't limit yourself to arguing with strangers on social media. Get paid to…
Make money playing games
You don't have to be a YouTube or Twitch star to make money playing games. You could just be an…